Reptile Monitor
  • Home
  • Why Reptiles?
    • lizards, snakes & turtles!
  • How YOU can help!
    • Volunteer! >
      • Photo ID Project
      • Volunteer - HerpMapper
  • Field Blog
  • Project Summary
  • About

Week 12 - From the Field

7/12/2014

 
This week saw the CSU crews on a ranch in El Paso County, Colorado for a few days before splitting up to cover Comanche and Pawnee National Grasslands.  Danny spent the week (after Monday) working on getting out volunteer materials and lining up additional land access in New Mexico, Oklahoma and Kansas.

From the crews:
Beth - "Sometimes, I’ll be nearing the end of a survey and not having seen any reptiles, I’ve given up on any hope of seeing any species on a survey plot. Then, without warning, a Lesser Earless Lizard will squirm across my line of sight in a barren landscape. Or a Prairie Rattlesnake will be waiting silently in the last burrow I check. I was surprised by some reptile species in a similar way this week by finding them in unexpected habitats. In sandy soils dotted with sagebrush I was not expecting to see a bright red Coachwhip scoot across a road, and I found an Ornate Box Turtle shell in a heavily-grazed shortgrass plot with no other species observed. It had me wondering at first if it could have some how been dropped there by mistake. Six-lined Racerunners looked like giants among Lesser Earless Lizards around a prairie dog town, shocking my search image, which was adjusted only for the smaller species. Spending so much time in the field every week reveals oddities and exceptions that I would not observe otherwise."
Jake - “As the days get longer and hotter in the middle of summer, it can sometimes be difficult to keep up the motivation to keep looking for these elusive animals. It can get tiring, frustrating, and more often than not, those hot days won’t yield much in terms of reptile encounters. On the other hand, it can make those few encounters even more special than they otherwise would be. Just when you’re feeling like it’s time to give up hope on finding anything, you’ll run into a Lesser Earless Lizard or a Six-Lined Racerunner, and all that motivation will come rushing back. So while it can get difficult at times, it’s important to keep in mind what this research will benefit, and push on through the slow days.”
Celina - "When you're starting something new, absolutely everything is new and exciting - every new species is a lifer! Everybody loves having a life list of something - whether it's the birds or herps you've seen, what you've been bit by (not my favorite list to be honest), exciting places you've been; everybody keeps track of what's exciting to them. This week we had rain come through, and I thought to myself "Yes! It'll bring out so much stuff!" yet the week continued to be oh... so slow. Friday rolled around and I knew we were on our last survey of the week, and I was determined to find something new! Something exciting! I never seem to be good at finding the lizards or snakes hiding under cow patties- spiders and beetles and crickets, yes, but not reptiles. I was absolutely delighted when I lifted a cow patty to find a lifer and a species of a family that I love... a Many Lined Skink (see voucher photo above). I know they've been documented multiple times this summer by others, but I hadn't observed one yet. It was a perfect end to the week and a lesson in perseverance - just because only 1 out of 500 cow patties(/rocks/logs) has a herp under it, doesn't mean you shouldn't lift it up anyway and hope it's the lucky one. You never know!

Devin - "Late this week, Celina and I broke off from the other crew members to survey a few sites on the Pawnee National Grasslands in northeastern Colorado. This was a new environment to survey for me and I was excited to see what we would be able to find up there. On one of our road cruises, I found a pair of bull snakes that were very close to each other. I don't usually see two snakes together that often, so I assumed that they were a breeding pair. On top of that we saw nearly 20 Lesser Earless lizards on the drive between survey sites the previous day!"

Week 11 - From the Field

7/6/2014

 
Week 11 found the crews split between Comanche and Cimarron National Grasslands in Kansas and Colorado, respectively. Cool weather and thunderstorms lead to many species not being detected this week, but those that move a lot with summer storms were out en force (e.g., Ornate Box Turtles)!

From the Crews:
Beth - "The North American Racer is usually a swift, active snake but the one I stumbled upon in Comanche National Grasslands hung around for a while. We startled each other in the short grass and the Racer posed uncharacteristically long enough for me to take some shots of its black eyes looking like an alien with its light green body. This is a species I was familiar with in the eastern U.S. before starting with the Reptile Monitoring Project. However, Racers in the Great Plains are not solid black in coloration like their relatives on the east coast."
Devin - "This week we switched up crews and Beth and I headed down to southern Colorado to check out survey sites in Otero County. While we were down there, we spotted a beautiful Prairie Rattlesnake sitting on the road that stayed put long enough to let us get some good voucher photos of it!"

Celina - "Texas Horned Lizards are always a delight to find. Somehow I find their almost grumpy and disapproving demeanor charming and find myself often surprised by how bright the yellow highlights on them can be in some individuals! They can be tricky to find again (for a voucher photo opp) when you see them run off the road into cover, but they tend to pose nicely once you find them again."
Jake - "Last week, I wrote about how cool it is to see severe storms from a distance... this week, we experienced the storms close up.  In SW Kansas, we had a major storm roll over us in the late afternoon, which forced us to take cover. The lightning was intense, and the rain and hail was so thick we could hardly see. I've never experienced a storm so violent. On the plus side, the rain brought out the Ornate Box Turtles in force, and we had our hands full trying to record them all! It was a truly incredible experience."

Week 10 - Catching up

6/29/2014

 
Week 10 found 3 of us back from a 2-week trip to the Southern Plains.  While one crew took a break for a few days, the other crew helped catch up on database management - a critically-important task for our large field effort and a necessary skill for the crews to have in developing as professionals.  One of the crews will sample a State Wildlife Area in northeastern Colorado that we just added to the list of survey sites, and Devin & Danny headed to the Otero County Colorado PARC field trip and some surveys on Comanche National Grassland.
Other plans in progress: we are working on access to new sites in Colorado, New Mexico, Kansas, and Oklahoma for the coming weeks... stay tuned! Also working to get final edits done on the smartphone app for the project, and an e-mail for the Reptile Monitor volunteers.
Beth - "We surveyed a new (for the project) State Wildlife Area that had suitable habitat for Plains Hog-nosed Snakes; sandy soils, sparse vegetation, open prairie. Our hopes were high even for the short amount of time that we would be surveying the area and we actually found a young specimen, however, it was dead on a dirt road. A live Plains Hog-nosed Snake is still on my list for the summer."
Devin - "This weekend Danny and I met up with the folks from Colorado PARC for one of their field herping expeditions in Otero county. Going out into the field with these guys was a blast, everyone really knew their stuff and were startlingly good at finding critters. A few new species for me from this trip included a Lined Snake, a Glossy Snake, and some Plains Leopard Frogs! On Saturday Danny and I went off on our own to do some surveys, and right before we entered one of our survey plots we spotted an Eastern Collared Lizard. We took the opportunity to get some good pictures since it was posing for us, and at one point it even ran right up to us to check us out!"
Jake - "It can be truly awe-inspiring how suddenly and violently conditions can change on the eastern plains. One minute, sunny blue skies are shining down, and the next, the sky is filled with dark clouds and lightning is flashing all around. We had a particularly incredible experience last Thursday night, as a severe thunderstorm developed to the south of us and lit up the sky for several hours. As dangerous as it can be, from a safe distance these storms provide quite the spectacle."

Week 9 - From the Field

6/22/2014

 
Beth - "We’ve seen lots of Bullsnakes (Gopher Snakes) on the road so far this summer (dead and alive), and most of them are docile and mosey off the road. On Thursday in Pawnee National Grassland Jake and I pulled over to photograph one that we thought would be just as placid.  This particular specimen, with a few distinct “X” shaped saddles marking its back, reared up and gave a little faux rattle to its tail.  Often, Bullsnakes are killed because they resemble a rattlesnake, and this individual was using that similarity to try and convince us to leave. We snapped a few voucher photos and left it in peace."
Jake - "Sometimes, the greatest thing about this job is just getting to stop and look around at where we are. This week, we went from the bottoms of canyons to the tops of mountains, and out onto the vast plains of eastern Colorado. Even if we don't see too many reptiles in a day, just being able to know that we're somewhere that not many people get to see is pretty astounding. The abundance and diversity of habitat we see makes each week a new experience, and I feel truly lucky to have the opportunity to see it."
Celina - "This week I was able to see a species of lizard I haven't encountered previously: Greater Earless Lizards. Their "I know you can see me" tail wag was a delight to see, and they were happy to pose while we snapped voucher photos of them because they knew they could easily run away if needed. "
Devin - "The clouds were beginning to thicken as the final hour of our two-week journey was nearing an end, and all was quiet; the calm before a raging storm. I paced along the rocky hillside with a cool confidence, assured in the quality of this unique habitat to provide a glimpse at some marvelous species. A clap of thunder roared in the distance. I quickened my pace as the impending threat of the elements drew ever nearer. My time in Black Mesa State Park was coming to a close, I had to make every second count. I approached an open field, finally, a good opportunity with fair visibility. This was my chance. A flash or lightning accompanied by a deafening roar of thunder. I decided to give myself one more minute until I had to retreat. Then finally I found her; the most marvelous Speckled Kingsnake I’d ever seen in my life! I spent my final minute taking voucher photographs of this eager snake so desperate for the limelight. Another flash of lightning- the closest yet; time to get back to the vehicle! I increased my pace and made it back to the truck mere seconds before the start of hail. "

Weeks 8 & 9 - The Best of the West...

6/15/2014

 
Week 8 found the crews in Kansas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, and Texas.  We added several new species to the project list, including Western Diamondback Rattlesnake (3), Plains Black-headed Snake (2), Yellow-bellied (Prairie) Kingsnake (1), and Speckled Kingsnake (2).  While one crew heads back to Colorado for Week 9, Danny & the other crew remain in Texas, New Mexico, & Oklahoma for some additional survey work.
Week 8 Crew entries:
Celina - "When somebody mentions reptiles in the Great Plains, people typically think of rattlesnakes and Coachwhips, or horned lizards or whiptails. One species that may appear to be unexpected in the area is the Ornate Box Turtle (Terrapene ornata). The Ornate Box Turtle is a species that deals with drought by estivating (essentially hibernation except for hot and dry preriods as opposed to cold) underground and can do so for years at a time if necessary. This species of turtle is one of my personal all-time favorites, and they were out in force this week after the recent rains! I'm always happy to see a familiar species and admire their unique patterning. "
Devin - "This week, Celina and I started our big trip down to Texas,  and I was very excited to see species I haven't yet seen. On top of checking out the amazing new scenery in and around the Panhandle's canyons, I also got a chance to see some very cool species I haven't seen before including Eastern Collared Lizards and a Western Diamondback Rattlesnake. I also happened upon a Plains Black-headed Snake under a cow patty!  I've been checking under almost every cow patty I've seen since then."
Beth - "Cimarron National Grassland in Kansas was crawling with Ornate Box Turtles when we spent a few days there hiking through sandy soil and sagebrush. One in particular was not happy to see Jake and I. When she escaped out of sight after we had snapped some photos of her wildly patterned carapace she butted herself right up to a sagebrush plant, eager to disappear. We left to continue surveying and when I was done, I returned to the spot we last saw her only to find a big pile of freshly excavated sand. I gently dug into it a few inches out of curiosity and unearthed her scaly blunt claw poking out. New Mexico however, had other surprises for us. Lesser Earless Lizards were scuttling through its short grass prairies and as we drove around the orange-streaked rock walls of a canyon on Kiowa National Grassland, there on the road lay a Western Diamondback Rattlesnake. The geometric monochrome pattern that ran down her back with bold bands bordering her rattle were imposing and spectacular at the same time. An icon of the West, backed by the beauty of the canyon, she was easily a highlight of the week."
Jake - "I think the most memorable experience from this week had to be driving down into the canyonlands of New Mexico and finding a Western Diamondback Rattlesnake (Crotalus atrox) stretched out across the road. When we first spotted it, I could hardly believe what I was seeing! This was the biggest rattlesnake I've ever seen, and the diamond pattern on it's back was incredibly vivid. The most notable thing about this snake though, was its behavior; not once did it rattle at us, assume a defensive posture, or act aggressive in any way. This animal, who has such a notorious reputation, stayed completely docile and simply crawled into the rocks on the other side of the road. It was truly an exhilarating experience to come face to face with a creature that has been fittingly dubbed the King of the West."

Weeks 8 & 9 - Spreading Across the Southern Plains...

6/9/2014

 
For the coming weeks we will largely be split into 3 groups to cover as much of the southern plains as possible.  We have surveys scheduled for Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, and New Mexico.  

With recent rain scattered throughout the southern plains, we expect to continue to see high numbers of herpetofauna out and about!  

Week 7 - Snakes are out!

6/7/2014

 
We have already observed many, many more snakes than at this point in 2013.  This may be due to the increased precipitation so far in 2014.  There has been flooding in some drainages in the past week, and that may push snakes into higher ground... we've unfortunately seen a lot of snakes dead on roads (DOR).  We've picked up a few new species for the project this week, including 2 Glossy Snakes (both DOR) and a Great Plains Ratsnake.  We also observed our first Western Ground Snake of 2014 (only the 2nd observed on the project, although we have found many shed skins for this species).  The rapid-inventory, Visual Encounter Surveys we use may not be ideal for fossorial (ground-dwelling) species, so it's always a delight when we do see them!  We also found 2 Round-tailed Horned Lizards - fewer than 30 individuals of this species have been reported in Colorado.
From the Crew...
Celina - "This week found us split into our crews for the summer, and I enjoyed showing Devin Comanche National Grassland. We found a species that wasn't recorded during surveys last year- a Great Plains Rat Snake! This individual was found in the evening after the sun was going down, warming up on the road. So far there appears to have been a lot more rain than last year and we're seeing more individuals moving around- it gives me high hopes for what we'll see this summer! We also got to see Round-tailed Horned Lizards, which are even harder to find than their other cryptic cousins."
Beth - "Back on Pawnee National Grassland this week, impressive blooms of white Evening Primrose made the fields look like they were tucked under a thin sheet of snow. The 80 degree weather told us differently, however, as we drove through the eastern side of the grasslands past hundreds of wind turbines. On our last morning in the field, Jake and I finally found some time to hike around the Pawnee Buttes. The trail meandered around the stunning structures and through some carved-out sandstone where we found two memorable Short-horned Lizards; one about the size of a quarter and the other a particularly vivid adult. After being introduced to horned lizards this summer and seeing dozens of individuals for weeks already, they’re spiked grumpy faces still make me laugh."
Jake - "One of the most memorable experiences from this week came in the form of an afternoon surprise on the dirt roads of Pawnee: a nice, healthy Prairie Rattlesnake (Crotalus viridis). On the way to one of our survey sites, we happened to see the large snake making his way across the road. He was a little startled as we pulled up, but after determining that we were no immediate threat, he quickly moved off the road into the tall grass; I've never seen a rattlesnake move so fast! All he wanted to do was leave us alone, but I’m glad we got the opportunity to see him, even as briefly as we did- he was one of the finest examples of rattlesnake I've ever seen in this state, and if the size of his rattle was any indication, had been around those grasslands for a while. It’s always an incredible experience to see something so dangerously beautiful."
Devin - "This week I really enjoyed spending time at Picture Canyon, and even found an Ornate Box Turtle crawling across one of the hiking paths there. I’d never seen a box turtle before, so that was a really exciting moment for me. We also got a chance to see some Round-tailed Horned Lizards, which was a really unique experience. I’m looking forward to seeing some cool Texas herps next week!"

Week 7 - Divide and Conquer

6/2/2014

 
Picture
This week the crews are splitting up to head north and south to survey sites in Colorado. With recent rainfall and warm (but not hot) temperatures expected, we should see a lot of reptiles out active this week!  Let us know what you're seeing out there - register as a volunteer today!

Week 6 - First week with the full crew!

5/31/2014

 
This was the first week of work for the other two crew members, Jake & Devin. While Beth & Celina surveyed sites on Comanche National Grassland, Danny trained Devin & Jake at Pawnee National Grassland.  On Friday, we all converged on Fort Carson and surveyed sites there with a biologist from the post.  We were lucky in dodging heavy rain (it surrounded us several times but the valley we were in only received light rain) and got to see quite a few Colorado Checkered Whiptails!  We also saw Sceloporus sp., a Coachwhip, and a Prairie Rattlesnake.
Beth - "We had a hunch it would be a good week for spotting herpetofauna when we started seeing lizards at 7 a.m., but we didn't know we would be seeing such a plethora of new species. This was my first time seeing a Spiny Softshell, a Six-lined Racerunner, Checkered Whiptails, and an Ornate Box Turtle. Beyond this mix of reptiles, it was a species we had already encountered that shocked me the most. At Carrizo Canyon in Comanche National Grasslands, as the day was ending, I saw what appeared to be a small blue dinosaur as it raced across our campsite. With a camera in hand we realized a Collared Lizard sat patiently on a paved pathway allowing us to get so close as to see the stunning detail of the leopard-like spots on its neck and face. It stuck around for a photo shoot for maybe 15 minutes and I wish it would have stayed around all night but I don’t know if I would have gone to sleep if it did."
Devin  - "My first week has already given me a ton of new and exciting experiences! I've had a chance to see many species new to me including Many-lined Skinks, a Coachwhip, and a Prairie Rattlesnake. I never quite realized how much reptile diversity could be in your own back yard, if you only know where to look for it."
Celina - "This past week some of my burrow-checking paid off, as I found a Prairie Rattlesnake (Crotalus viridis) sitting in the entrance of a badger burrow! This counts as the first snake found during a standardized survey for this season (given the cool temperatures so far), so that's really exciting for me! It serves as a reminder to keep checking mammal burrows for lizards and snakes because you never know... you might find that that one burrow you don't want to take an extra 2 steps to hides an exciting discovery."
Jake - "It was great to finally get started in the field this week. To be outdoors doing what I love, there really isn't a better feeling! If I had to pick some highlights from this week, I’d say finding my first Greater Short-Horned Lizard and Many-Lined Skink on Pawnee National Grasslands. While both are fairly common species, until now I haven't been in the right places to find them. It really is a thrill to see something new for the very first time!"

Week 5 - Notes from the Field

5/23/2014

 
After an unseasonably-late snowfall the previous week, we were able to survey sites in Fremont County, Colorado. While Danny spent part of the week serving as a volunteer Instructor for Southwest PARC's Flat-tailed Horned Lizard Biomonitor Training, Beth & Celina met up with a Colorado Parks & Wildlife Biologist to survey sites on BLM land in Fremont County. These sites are on the northwestern edge of the geographic distribution for the Colorado Checkered Whiptail, a parthenogenetic lizard species endemic to Colorado.
Notes from the crew:

Beth - "We have yet to find any Whiptails in southeastern Colorado, and again had no luck around Cañon City. We scrambled up some steep terrain in the aptly named area and saw very few reptiles over three days. In fact, this week almost left us with no new species spotted until the last day, driving out of town, when we pulled over for a distinctly pink, 4-foot long Coachwhip."

Celina - "This week, we got to see a different part of Colorado – in the foothills of the mountains.  I finally got to see a red color-phase Coachwhip, it’s such a beautiful and unexpected coloration in this active forager.  Sadly, this individual was found dead on the road, which is not an uncommon cause of death for many species of snakes."
Picture
A Colorado Checkered Whiptail found during 2013 surveys.
Picture
A red color-phase Coachwhip from southern Texas.

Week 3 - Notes from the field

5/10/2014

 
Our first week in southeastern Colorado went well!  We recorded a number of observations both opportunistically and on survey sites.  We recorded our first observations of several species for 2014 including: Gophersnake (Bullsnake), Eastern Collared Lizard, Sceloporus sp. (likely Plateau Fence Lizard, but see review of current taxonomic uncertainty of Sceloporus spp. in Colorado here), and Texas Horned Lizard.  We were unable to find any of the whiptail species or Ornate Box Turtles on this trip, but with the rain that came late in the week and some warmer temperatures in a few weeks we should begin to see those species soon!
Most weeks we'll try to post a few thoughts from the field crew, including species or exciting new observations.  Week 3 was our first full week in the field - spent in southeastern Colorado on Comanche National Grassland...
Celina - "My favorite thing about our first week in the southeastern part of Colorado was seeing a new part of the state, for me, and witnessing how well our team is meshing together already. We might not have gotten to see what we came for (those rascally whiptails), but at least we got to climb down (and back up) a canyon and see tons of Sceloporus!"

Beth - "Besides dipping into the mouth of a canyon and snapping some shots of an Eastern Collared Lizard, one big Bullsnake caught my eye this week.  A common species in Colorado, this buff and black large snake is a new species to me and stunning nonetheless. A long winter has deprived me of snake spottings, so seeing my first Bullsnake, wearing black bars on its upper lip like a Halloween mask, reminded me why I love to go herping."

Week 3 - Heading South

5/5/2014

 
With previous weekend high temps in the 80's, we anticipate many reptile species becoming increasingly active this week. The CSU Reptile Monitor Crew is heading to southeastern Colorado (Comanche National Grassland) for the first time in 2014.  We're excited to see what species are active, and the Crew Leaders will get to see Comanche Nat'l Grassland for the first time.  Time permitting we'll conduct our first sampling ever on the Kansas side of the border on Cimarron National Grassland.  Check back next weekend for an update on what we encountered!

Week 2 - Cool weather

4/28/2014

 
The weather is not cooperating this week in Colorado, with daytime high temperatures not expected to reach 70 degrees until the weekend.  With more time we'd be headed to survey sites in west Texas (where temperatures are much warmer!), but instead the crew is taking advantage of this down-time to become more familiar with the project database.  Not so much fun, but a very important task in field research nonetheless!  

The CSU crew did get in the field on Friday this week, and with cool weather earlier in the week we didn't expect to see much - we did see 2 adult male Lesser Earless Lizards, which was a bit of a surprise as they often prefer warmer weather than the low-70-degree temperatures we had on Pawnee National Grassland.

Week 1 - 2014 Crew Leaders on board!

4/21/2014

 
Week 1 found the 2014 Crew Leaders, Beth & Celina, beginning work and training.  As is typical in Colorado in early Spring, the weather jumps regularly from summer-like conditions (excellent for herping!) to near winter.  

The crew was able to get out for parts of 3 days for training this first week, with Short-horned Lizards (SHL) observed each day out on Pawnee National Grassland.  As is typical for SHL this time of year, all but one of those observed were adult males - they tend to emerge from hibernation earlier than do adult females.  We found a neonate female (born last August) out on Saturday when the temperature was in the mid-70's.  She was still covered in dirt as they often are after emerging from hibernation.  

We had a few other exciting observations in the brief time we were out this week, including a Many-lined Skink, several Prairie Rattlesnakes, and a Lesser Earless Lizard.  
Forward>>

    Archives

    May 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014

    CSU Reptile Monitoring Project

    Weekly observations & comments from the field crew and volunteers!

    RSS Feed

About
Contact Us
www.reptilemonitor.org
Picture
Natural Resource Ecology Laboratory
Fish, Wildlife & Conservation Biology
Colorado State University
Field Blog
All content © D. Martin unless otherwise credited, please obtain written permission prior to use.